Hello & happy Monday!

Today's headlines:

• Glovo closing in on €450M investment

• SEAT to launch an urban EV

• Spain to trial 4-day workweek

Barcinno Easter Break

With the upcoming Easter Holidays, Barcinno will be taking a short one-week break. So don't freak out when you don't get your Monday update next week ... to quote a famous Austrian actor turned US-politician: "[We]'ll be back". On Mon 12 April. Enjoy the days off!

That's it! Let's get right into it! Have a great week!

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• Delivery giant Glovo is in the process of finalizing a €450M funding round

• MedTech startup INBRAIN Neuroelectronics closes a €14M funding round

• Professional networking platform Arbolus raises €5,1M

• Activities and leisure platform for the elderly Vermut raises a €150K funding round

• Online wine tasting startup Upwine closes a €150K investment round

Barcelona Startup news

• Prometeo introduces device to protect firefighters from lethal gases

• TapTrip partners with TravelPerk to help business travelers travel safely

• CEO of Wallapop believes that they have come out stronger from the pandemic

Spanish investment news

• Cadiz-based biotech company ADL Bionatur closes a €5M investment round

• A Coruña-based petcare startup Barkibu closes a €4.7M funding round

• Madrid-based supply chain company Bergé receives a €2M JV loan from COFIDES to fund Colombian expansion

• Valencia-based telecoms startup Kenmei closes a €1.5M funding round

VC, investment & crowdfunding news:

• Barcelona-based Ysios Capital participates in American life sciences company Aura Biosciences €80M funding round

• Barcelona-based Aldea Ventures has completed its first close of €60M & aims to invest in "microfunds" across Europe

• The Government of Navarra and Sodena agree to commit an additional €30M in funding for SMEs

• Nauta Capital participates in Massachusetts-based software company Connected2Fiber’s €10M funding round

• K Fund participates in New York-based recruitment startup Fetcher’s €5.5M funding round

• Galician VC Unirisco acquires a minority stake in the shareholding of A Coruña-based HR gamification startup Imagames

• The Official Credit Institute (ICO) will participate in BStartup’s impact fund for Spanish startups  

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories:

• Barcelona-based incubator BCombinator launches €10M fund to invest in early-stage startups

• Biotech startup incubator HoMu Health Ventures aims to become Europe’s largest reproductive health incubator

• MoveUp! presents is 6th edition after promoting 122 entrepreneurs from 33 municipalities in 5 years

• EIT Food Seedbed Incubator helps entrepreneurs test innovative ideas directly with more than 100 potential customers & end-users and learn how to move from a great idea to a validated business proposal; apply until 10 Apr

• 5G Transatlantic Lab opens call for innovative projects that can reduce the negative impact of long term pediatric patients (and families) experience at hospitals; apply until 18 Apr

• Academy for Women Entrepreneurs awards 30 scholarships to women entrepreneurs and socials innovators to drive the development of women-led projects; apply until 23 Apr

• SmartCatalonia Challenge opens 4 different calls for various challenges; apply until 31 May

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews:

• Cubiq Foods: lab-based duck fat firm that raised €16M+ already

• Juan Carlos Tous (CEO Filmin): "Creating Filmin today would be virtually impossible" [CAT]

Tech News

Tech news in Barcelona:

• Investment in Catalonia’s health startups doubled in just two years exceeding €200M in 2020

• Barcelona-based automotive company SEAT to launch an urban electric car in 2025

• US company Jabil to build a new paper bottle plant in Catalonia

• Repsol to invest more than €1.4B in energy transition projects in Tarragona

Tech news in Spain:

• Spanish companies join forces to promote digital identity using Blockchain technology

• Software error made Spain’s child COVID-19 mortality rate skyrocket

• Vodafone’s 5G network already reaches 25 Spanish cities

• Telavox acquires Spanish telecoms company Numintech to expand into the UCaaS market

• Spanish town hopes to overcome the economic crisis with its own virtual currency

Politics, Legal & Economics

• Spain set to trial 4-day week in a bid to boost productivity 

Good Reads

• Catalonia as a post-pandemic logistics hub

• Catalonia’s strength as a logistics hub for a Chinese automaker

• Javier Ballasteros of Llewo the last-mile delivery business on the role of alternatives in mobility

• MWC’s biggest exhibitor is a tiny startup nobody’s ever heard of

Good Videos & Podcasts

• Interview with Jaume Betrian, co-founder at Ofertia & Managing Director at Flax & Kale Goods (by Startup Grind Mataró)

• Assessing the economic and social impact of ENISA loans

• Why the American life sciences firm Teladoc Health chose Barcelona as the location for its international headquarters

Great Events

This week:

• Tue, 30 Mar @ 09:00: Esmorzar de finançament: Current trends in European Angel Investing scene

• Wed, 31 Mar @ 17:00: 10 Things You Need to Know to Become a Data-Driven Professional

Upcoming:

• 12-16 Apr: 5th European Blockchain Convention

• 22 Apr: Startup Grind Mataró: Jonàs Sala (Co-founder & Partner @ Verkami)

• 6-7 May: Automobile Barcelona

• 28 Jun - 1 Jul: MWC

See the full event calendar here & add your event here.

Jobs

• Glovo is recruiting a Content Operations Manager

• Kantox is hiring a Senior Customer Operations Officer (Middle Office)

• TechBuddy is looking for a Swedish-Speaking Customer Success Specialist

• FlexiDAO is recruiting an Energy & Sustainability Services Manager

• Riverbed Technology is hiring an Inside Sales Representative (English-speaking)

• Touchstream is looking for a Junior OTT Technical Support

• OneCoWork is recruiting a Community Associate

• Bourbon Creative is looking for freelance German, French & English B2B tech content writers; apply per email here